At that conference, Simpson released the study's findings, which included detailed outlines of corruption incidents involving more than 130 individuals across 60 suburbs since the 1970s.

The report exhaustively maps arrests stemming from corruption charges including instances of nepotism, police officers aiding or extorting criminals, kickbacks and bribes to administrators and public officials with ties to organized crime; a total of 6 categories of impropriety that are well-represented in many of the examined suburbs.

"Cumulatively the many examples in this report contradict the common perception that while Chicago is corrupt, the suburbs have clean, open, and effective governments," the report concludes. "In fact, corruption impacts a large number of local governments throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and it has persisted for decades. Understanding these facts is an essential first step to implementing new policies and ethical practices to curb corruption in the suburbs."

The report further recommends oversight at the county level, public access to government documents including expenditures and contracts, ethics training for all incoming city employees and, if necessary, legislation that limits campaign contributions, backdoor contract agreements, nepotism and other offenses.

"Corruption is not just a Chicago problem. The culture of corruption is an Illinois problem," the report concludes. "While some individual suburbs may be exempt from this epidemic, many are not ... If more than 60 suburbs have corruption and blatant conflicts of interest, then it is necessary to take steps to eliminate this corruption."

Check out some of Illinois's most notorious cases of political corruption:

Corruption In Illinois

Corruption In Illinois

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William Beavers

Former Cook County Commissioner William Beavers speaks at a news conference after being sentenced on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013, in a Chicago federal courtroom. Beavers, 78, was sentenced to six months in prison for tax evasion. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)